Agonochaetia impunctella ( Caradja, 1920 )

Landry, Jean-François, Nazari, Vazrick, Bidzilya, Oleksiy, Huemer, Peter & Karsholt, Ole, 2017, Review of the genus Agonochaetia Povolný (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae), and description of a new genus and species from the Canary Islands, Zootaxa 4300 (4), pp. 451-485 : 464

2. Agonochaetia impunctella ( Caradja, 1920)

( Figs. 2 , 37 )

Brachmia impunctella Caradja 1920: 111 . Type locality: Kasakewitsch , Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. Aristotelia impunctella (Caradja) ; Park 1996: 66, 70, pl. 4, fig. 40 [not 43 as labelled in Park’s figure legend but correctly indicated in his text]).

Agonochaetia impunctella (Caradja) ; Ponomarenko 2008b: 98.

Material examined. Holotype ♀, “Kasakew.” “ HOLOTYPE Brachmia impunctella ♀ Car. ROMÄNIA ” ( MGAB). Photos of the type, its labels and the genitalia slide (prepared by Park, 1996) were examined.

DNA Barcode BIN. Not barcoded.

Adult ( Fig. 2 ). The original description is relatively brief and cover the external aspect only: “Close to Brachmia modicella , somewhat larger, wings rounded and stretched at the apex. Palps, sensor yellow, last not ringed. General color light-yellow clay. The dot at the beginning and end of the cell and in the crease barely indicated; no dark spot at the interior angles or along the seam and above the tip. Hindwing and fringes lightyellow clay.” ( Caradja 1920). [Description translated from German.]

Description (based on photograph of the holotype). Adult. Wingspan not measured (scale not available from the photo obtained). Labial palpus light grey-brown, darkest on outer surface of segment 2; segment 3 shorter than segment 2. Antenna light grey-brown, indistinctly darker ringed. Head, thorax and tegula light grey-brown. Forewing light brown mottled with darker scales, especially in apical part; a black streak along fold; indistinct black stigmata at 2/3 and 3/ 5 in middle of wing; fringes grey. Hindwing grey with grey cilia.

Male genitalia. Unknown.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 37 ). Segment VIII slightly shorter (0.7x) than wide, without distinct sclerotized modifications, with short longitudinal folds posteroventrally; anterior apophysis about 2.4x length of segment VIII, base gradually widened into sternum VIII; antrum funnel-shaped, about 1.5x length of SVIII (measured distad of ostium bursae), opening at anterior margin of SVIII, distal edge incised, anterior portion extended to about middle (0.5L) of anterior apophysis; signum acrinoid with equilateral triangular basal plate, hook process straight, about as long as basal plate.

Diagnosis. Externally A. impunctella is a pale beige species with almost unmarked forewings except for indistinct traces of small darker spots in the terminal portion. However, given that the type specimen is over 100 years old, its coloration could have faded. In the female genitalia, the funnel-shaped antrum is somewhat cylindrical (sides more parallel) especially in the distal two-thirds and the V-like emargination of the posterior edge has convexely curved sides at a distinct, obtuse angle; the signum has an equilateral triangular basal plate that is about the same length as the hook. Other species have a differently shaped antrum and signum, however, marked variation in the shape of these structures in two preparations of A. terrestrella suggests to interpret these differences with caution pending discovery of more material.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution ( Fig. 43 ). Only known from the type locality in Russia’s Far East.

Remarks. The genitalia of the unique female holotype were illustrated by Park (1996) but no description of the genitalia nor of the external appearance of the specimen was provided. The description above was developed from high-quality photos of the holotype and its genitalia provided by Mihai Stanescu from MGAB.

A. impunctella is superficially similar to Lutilabria kaszabi Povolný, 1978 from Mongolia and Zabaikalskiy krai of Russia.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 12. Adults. 1, A. conspersa ♂ (HT); 2, A. impunctella ♀ (HT); 3, A. incredibilis ♂ (HT); 4, A. intermedia ♂; 5, A. intermedia ♀; 6, A. lvovskyi ♂ (HT); 7, A. quartana ♀ (HT); 8, A. shawinigan ♂ (HT); 9 – 11, A. terrestrella ♀♀; 12, A. tuvella ♂.

FIGURES 37 – 39. Female genitalia of Agonochaetia species. 37, A. impunctella ♀ (HT) (slide 176452 / 4220, K. T. Park 1996); 38, A. intermedia ♀ (slide GU 87 / 107, P. Huemer); 39, A. quartana ♀ (HT) (slide 3222 Povolný),

FIGURES 43 - 44. 43, Map of type localities (red stars) and distribution (red dots) of Agonochaetia and Canarischema (yellow star). 44, Bayesian inference of relationships between selected Gnorimoschemini genera based on COI barcode data. Values above nodes are posterior probabilities; those below nodes are bootstrap values from the Parsimony analysis (values from the Maximum Likelihood analysis were very similar).